Some of you may remember my thread about MIL's propensity to monologue or bring readings to family gatherings http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=117973.0 Based on a lot of the great advice here, DH and I came up with a civilized game plan and invited both my mother and MIL for dinner today. And it was . . . relatively uneventful! MIL started filling the room with the topic of her choice when she showed up, but we kept momentum moving from person to person and topic to topic. To give her credit, she rolled with it. There were a couple of moments of toxicity, but DH deflected them (she waits until I'm in the bathroom to corner him!), and everyone seemed satisfied with the day.

That was the biggie for us, and where eHell really helped: We didn't try to get through to her, we just tried to get through the event. Thank you again, all!

Glad y'all were able to enjoy a nice dinner without her dominating the conversation. I wish I'd done similar when I was married into my son's dad's family. (I used to joke that he is such a quiet kid because the rest of the Schulz family used up all the words.)

Congratulations! I have to admit, it's really satisfying to read things like this. Maybe we should all make updates from time to time. It's gratifying to know that the advice actually works and situations improve!